The Gifford Farm is a renovated and refurnished farmhouse in Capitol Reef National Park depicting Mormon and rural farm life of the early 1900s. It is located in Fruita, one mile south of the visitor center on Scenic Drive and there is a small parking lot. It is also a popular place for photography.
The Gifford farm and Fruita barn are located in the 200 acre Fruita Rural Historical District. The original home was built in 1908. The Jorgen Jorgensen family were the second residents of the home, and they sold the homestead to their son-in-law Dewey Gifford in 1928. The Gifford family occupied the home until 1969, and they were the last residents of Fruita to sell their home and land to the National Park Service.
The Gifford Homestead is near Capitol Reef’s Fruita Campground. The Fruita Campground is the only developed campground in Capitol Reef. It has 71 campsites and is located next to the the Fremont River.
Fruita is a ghost town which was established in 1880 by a group of Mormons. It is named for the orchards which remain along the Fremont River and Sulphur Creek, containing approximately 3000 trees. No more than 10 families lived there at any time. It was abandoned when the National Park Service purchased the land from the private owners.